Work Is Not A Wolf, And I Am Not A Wolf - Image

Even if you are a super duper pro, a crisis can still create problems. Managers are cutting staff to keep the company running. And the duties of the dismissed employees are distributed among the remaining “lucky ones”. How to cope with increased loads? And is it worth taking on more and more new responsibilities for fear of losing your job? We are developing a "plan of salvation".

Try to let go of your emotions and honestly answer the question: What makes you feel stressed? By and large, there are not so many options:

• there are more responsibilities and it is physically impossible to cope with them, but because of the fear of losing your job, you are afraid to voice this fact to your management;
• you are worried that you will have to work more for the same money, your usual work routine will need to be changed;
• worries are associated with the fact that more and more responsibilities are being shifted onto you that do not correspond to the position you hold.

“A year ago there were five people in the department, and after the crisis there were only two left - the authorities decided it was time to tighten their belts. There was no less work, and my colleague and I scattered the duties that the whole team used to do. At first it was even fun: endless rushwork and adrenaline before each reporting meeting. A couple of months later, the boss cut another department down after reading a long speech about "how you can safely cope with what five did together." And I suddenly felt scared. Because my colleague and I constantly stay late in the office, we stopped going to lunch, and there is tense silence in our office. I am terribly tired, I am afraid to panic that I will not cope with the next assignment. But at the same time I understand that I cannot afford to be left without work."

Yulia Komarovskaya, 26 years old,

marketer, patient of the clinic of neuroses

For myself and for that guy

So you've come to the conclusion that you really have to work for two or three, and stress is caused by exhaustion. Of course, you can work for several weeks or even months at the limit of your strength, but if this lasts too long, emotional and physical "burnout" inevitably begins, fatigue appears. A person can no longer work with the same intensity, and the fear of being fired is only growing.

In this case, you should tactfully draw the attention of colleagues and superiors to the fact that you have too much workload, and ask to distribute responsibilities more rationally. Prepare carefully for the meeting and try to eliminate the emotional side of the issue. It is best if your claims are substantiated and supported by facts, and you provide your work plans and proposals for the redistribution of the load. A reasonable leader will always listen to the arguments of his subordinates and will try to find a way out of this situation.

Master time management

It is quite another matter if the decision of management to lay off was justified, there were really too many employees, and your stress is caused by the very fact of the changes that have come. First, congratulations - you have saved your job, which means the company is interested in you. Secondly, there will really be more responsibilities and it depends only on you whether this avalanche will overwhelm you.

Consider whether it’s time to analyze how rationally you distribute the load during the day. Do you know how to prioritize, don't you waste energy on unimportant, habitual actions, which in time management are usually called "time eaters"?

“People who have stayed and for whom the number of tasks has increased can be advised to be more hardworking, stronger, more attentive. If the financial situation in the company improves, you have the right to start a conversation with management about raising salaries."

Julia Oleinikova, head of the company

Start by recognizing that a relaxed work schedule will need to shift to a well-planned, efficient, and energetic approach. Say goodbye to smoke breaks, teas and social media hangouts. Instead, the time comes for new tasks and challenges. You will have to work hard on shifting the focus of attention from the position of "unfortunate victim of circumstances" to the position "yes, you have to strain yourself, but I will learn a lot of interesting things." A loyal employee is harder to sit down and has a better chance of staying in place during the second wave of layoffs.

Don't forget about the main ways to deal with fatigue:

1. Take breaks

Choose your personal rhythm - it doesn't matter whether it's the classic ten minute break every two hours or the revolutionary tomato time management - 25 minutes to work on one task, break 5 minutes, switch to another.

2. Create your own space

You spend more than a third of the day at work - make your workplace as personal as you can. A little touch can give you something to smile about throughout the day.

3. Practice relaxation breathing exercises

It is not so important which breathing practice you choose, the main thing is that you will spend these few minutes in relaxation and peace.

4. Make it a rule to think about home at home, and about work at work

The key to a healthy psyche is balance.

Efficient or Unemployed?

During the crisis, a large number of companies are on the brink of survival and in order to survive, they must remain effective. Therefore, you have to reduce costs. Leaders are not monsters who want to squeeze all the juice out of an employee. They simply have no other choice, because the choice is simple - to become dead or effective. And they are forced to broadcast this choice within their organization. Everyone has to decide for himself - he wants to become “dead”, quit, be fired from his job or become effective by changing his usual behavior at work.

If you think that you are overwhelmed with deeds and it will be ineffective, then remember that facts and argumentation are preferable to opinion. The well-known business consultant for strategic development Alexander Fridman, for example, believes that "if the subordinate failed to convince the manager of his correctness and the need to change the configuration of the task, then he must either refuse to participate in the work or carry out it within the existing conditions." …

A standard example of the behavior of subordinates, according to Friedman: an unfulfilled task -> a philosophical dispute with the superiors ("And you know, I think that this (here he names the reason for the claim) is wrong, since …"). Unfortunately, even his correctness does not change the essence of the matter: the job is not done.

Business is a game. Treat your duties as a fun game, not as a duty, and the work process will give you great pleasure … If, of course, you can.

Vladislav Bozhedai, psychologist, publisher, entrepreneur

Both the Swiss and the reaper

When staff downsize, sometimes an absurd situation arises - an employee is transferred functions that are absolutely beyond the scope of his duties or even conflict with them. For example, you’re a finance specialist, and you’re tasked with keeping a meeting room in order, ordering stationery for the entire office, or organizing coffee breaks for partners.

“Since the New Year, they began to give me strange tasks - print reports, hand over a folder with documents at nine in the evening. At the same time, my work has not gone anywhere, I note. Nobody offers me additional payments. And I don’t need to - I didn’t get a job as a secretary. The situation is not easy now: it is not the time to think about changing jobs, but I'm afraid I won't stand it for so long."

Maria, 40 years old, account manager

Think about why the "extra" responsibilities have passed to you? If this did not suit you, why did you agree? And if this was not even discussed with you, why does the management consider it possible to do this in relation to you? Remember that your career depends on how well you deal with your immediate responsibilities, and not on the fact that you reliably take on an unbearable burden of tasks, being stressed and making more and more mistakes.

This situation most often indicates that you have problems with building boundaries when interacting with people. In order to competently protect your borders, you should think about what exactly requires protection, clearly understand your position:

• be as specific as possible what exactly and why you are not satisfied;
• avoiding emotions, formulate how you see a way out of this situation;
• calmly and reasonably voice your position to the leader.

Remember that the space for manipulation is in the "gray area" - the area of omissions, unclear commitments and unwritten agreements. Therefore, when talking with the manager, clarify, agree and fix the terms of cooperation: your direct responsibilities, work load, admissible additional work, plans and deadlines. Only you yourself know how much work you can do.

Do you have a plan?

As a conclusion, let’s think about the question: what, in fact, causes us anxiety? Events? Facts? Accidents? Emotions are not shaped by an event, but by how we perceive it. That is, we are often worried about the future because we do not estimate our chances of coping with the upcoming tests very high. We do this not consciously, but out of habit, in accordance with previously formed attitudes.

Try to look at the situations that the time of crisis throws up from a different point of view. Consider several detailed plans of action for each case that worries you. Ask yourself the questions, “What can I do to get the job done? What will I do if I get fired? " The more emergency exits you have for each threat, the less anxiety will remain in your life, and the future will look much more optimistic.

EXPERT OPINION

Truth or Dare

If it becomes more and more difficult to go to work day by day, it ceases to bring joy, relations in the team and with the management are more and more tense, it's time to stop and honestly answer a number of questions. How much longer can you be under constant stress? What causes mistakes and misses? Is this your fault? Is it worth holding on to this kind of work? It sounds paradoxical, but firing is a lot of new opportunities. Being immersed in your experiences and worries, you did not even think about it. The thought that finding a new job in your specialty is incredibly difficult did not allow you to pursue additional education or personal growth and notice that a hobby or new talent can become a source of income. You just haven't considered any other perspective. But still,if you see the ways of solving the problems that surround you from all sides at work, feel the strength to change the situation for the better - dare, show your professionalism and skill. Good luck with your choice!

Olga ZAITSEVA,

psychologist, business coach